To Find
by Khryseis
Summary: -"I'm sorry that I didn't say goodbye-to you, to mom, to May, or to the baby. But I knew that if I did, I would have changed my mind and stayed here. And both you and I know that I don't really belong here. So until I find myself. . . please don't find me. I promise: I will make you proud." Steven x OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own pokemon, nor will I ever. I own all that is mine, which is the character of Titania.

**EDIT:** I added the line breaks that (mysteriously) went missing. That way, the flow of the story makes more sense. I hope.

Chapter 1

_Ten seconds._

"I think it's time we finished this, don't you?"

_Nine._

"Let's do this!"

Both trainers smirked, sure of their victory. On one side stood the challenger—a male trainer with an energetic Vigoroth. On the other stood Titania: gym trainer and daughter of the Petalburg Gym leader, Norman Maple.

_Eight._

"Growlithe!"

"Vigoroth!"

_Seven._

"Close combat!"

"Reversal!"

The crowd didn't even see the Pokémon move—all they saw was the massive explosion that rocked the entire building. Once again, the battlefield was covered with smoke.

_Six._

_Five._

"Hang in there," the male trainer muttered. _My Pokémon gave its best, so that's all that matters._

_Four._

_Three._

_This guy is _definitely_ going to do well against dad, _the girl mused.

_Two. _

_One._

The buzzer rang, and the audience held their breath as the smoke began to clear, admitting to one another that though the girl had the upper hand earlier, the victory could go either way.

"Gro..or." Growlithe stood, the victor of the match. Falling to his knees, the boy reached out to his Vigoroth and cradled it in his arms.

"Good job, bud. You did a great job, and you deserve a good rest." A shadow fell over him and he smiled ruefully. "Guess I'm not going to be facing the gym leader since I lost to you, huh?"

"Oh, on the contrary." His head shot up. He was surprised to see a bright smile on the girl's face.

"What do you mean?"

"It means," she replied, pulling the boy to his feet, "you should rest up. Your match is at ten tomorrow morning."

* * *

Titania never liked working as a gym trainer—especially in her father's gym. Sure, she liked—no, loved—to battle. And yes, having a decent match like the one earlier was quite satisfying to her inner brute. But battling in a gym all the time? It was . . . stagnant, if she could say so herself. There was no thrill in simply waiting for the next challenger, and having to keep a lid on your full potential simply because you were required to lose to trainers in order to keep your job. Titania _hated_ to lose.

She didn't want to be the challenged—she wanted to be the _challenger_. She wanted to go around the world and travel, to meet all sorts of Pokémon and people—people like the boy with the Vigoroth. She wanted to push the limits on both herself and her Pokémon, push until she stood above the rest. Staying at the gym hindered her from getting better. If it was up to her, she would have left a long time ago.

Sadly, it wasn't her decision to make. Norman, the Petalburg gym leader and her father, was adamant about not letting her go on a journey. Titania couldn't count how many arguments they had in the last month over this, each more heated than the last. He knew what he had in mind: that she, as his oldest child, would inherit the gym and become the gym leader when she turned eighteen. After all, six of the other gym leaders were run by people her age, and she knew that with all the added pressure from the League, her dad was going to follow suit soon enough.

But she didn't want that, though—she didn't know what she wanted. There were so many kinds of careers out there, so many kinds of things she could put all her effort into. She wasn't sure that she fit into the "Gym Leader" description.

That's all she wanted her dad to understand.

"Hey, kiddo! How are you holding up?"

"Speak of Giratina," Titania muttered under her breath. "Hey, daddy. I think that's the last challenger I'll get today. Oh, you have a match with him tomorrow at ten a.m. He's got a really energetic Vigoroth that knows Reversal."

"That's great honey! I'm glad you're here to root out the tougher trainers from the newbies—it makes my job a lot hassling." A chuckle escaped his lips. "I'm still going to crush him, though."

Titania couldn't help but laugh along with him. "Of course you will, dad. Once Slaking decides to actually get off his lazy butt, that is," she jibed. She took a deep breath, knowing that what she would say next had the possibility to ruin his mood.

"Dad, I. . . I really want to go off on a journey."

"Absolutely not!" he replied immediately. "We've already had this conversation before—it's too dangerous out there for you!"

"But dad, I can protect myself! Especially if I have my Pokémon with me!"

"But what if you can't? Then _I_ have to go save you!"

"Don't give me all those 'what ifs'! You know perfectly well that I am capable of taking care of myself! For Arceus' sake, you made me take self-defense classes! You don't have to save me, dad!"

"You're still not going on a journey! You will stay right here, in the gym, where it is _safe_. It's where you belong!"

That's when Titania snapped.

"Belong? I _belong_ here? Are you kidding me? I don't belong _anywhere!_ All I ask from you is to go out and take a journey around Hoenn—and yet I can't do that! All you want is for me to take over this stupid gym when you retire! Guess what? _I don't want to!_ I don't want to be in charge of this stupid gym—not now, not ever! I don't care that it pays well! I want to travel! I don't care if I live an Arceus-forsaken cardboard box—I know that I'm not meant to be in this gym—or any other, for that matter! I don't belong in a gym, not here, not in Goldenrod, not in any other city on the entire face of this planet! But you don't understand that, and I hate you for it! Did you hear me? I hate you for it!"

She was screaming now, tears streaming down her face. She saw the hurt in her dad's eyes, and deep down it broke her heart to be breaking his. But she couldn't take her words back—they had already left deep wounds in her father's heart.

"Titania, I'm—" her dad started.

"Am I interrupting something?" a new voice interrupted, breaking the tension in the room. Titania swerved her head and locked eyes with a young man about her age. Her eyes widened in recognition—there weren't too many people with steely-blue hair and sea green eyes in the world.

"Mr. Stone," she greeted. "What brings you to Petalburg?"

"Please, call me Steven. Well, I've been on my journey around Hoenn—" Titania and her father winced slightly at the word "journey, "—and I was hoping to have a gym battle here. But I can always come back later, if needed."

"No, no," Titania replied quickly. "All you have to do to secure a battle with him," she pointed towards her father, "is to either win a timed battle against me or impress me enough in aforementioned battle. I'll meet you in the stadium in five minutes."

"If that's all right with Norman," Steven said, looking at her father.

"Trust me, it's fine." She turned to her father, who had remained silent throughout the exchange. Her heart broke as she saw the look of despair on his face, though her face remained stoic.

"Watch me, dad—no, _Norman_. I'm not your little girl anymore, and I'm going to prove to you that I can take care of myself."

* * *

"The battle between Gym Trainer Titania and Trainer Steven is about to commence!" the referee announced. "This will be a timed, one-on-one battle! If the challenger succeeds in winning, he will be given a chance to face the Petalburg Gym leader, Norman Maple! Trainer Steven, are you ready?"

"Yes."

"Trainer Titania, are you ready?"

"Yep!"

"The match starts… now!"

"Let's go, Lairon!" Steven released his Pokémon, a large, lizard-like creature with Steel battle armor. It gave a loud roar as landed with a 'thump' on the battlefield, its armor plates gleaming with a luster that signified that this Pokémon was not only well-cared for, but also extremely strong. Titania could feel it in her bones—this was going to be a good battle.

"Eevee, the stage is yours!" The fox Pokémon landed daintily on its paws, mewling cutely as it winked.

The entire stadium went silent. Titania looked around curiously. The referee was gawking at her like she had lost her mind. The spectators that had trickled in were buzzing like bees, murmuring about how the win was obviously going to the heir of the Devon Corp because there was _no way_ her cutesy little _toy_ would leave a scratch on the large monster of a Pokémon. Steven was smirking, and she knew that he'd already assessed her as a stupid trainer who didn't even know the basics like type effectiveness.

Her father's—no, _Norman's _face was the most interesting. There was a fire in his eyes, and the smile on his face reminded her of the past, in the time where they were mentor and mentee. Norman was familiar with the chatter of the crowd, with the arrogance and the confidence of the challenger. But each time, they would be beat down—rather mercilessly, too—and Titania, with stars in her eyes, adored her dad and made his personal mantra her own.

"It was their mistake to underestimate."

The two locked eyes, and Norman nodded, a smile on his face. Titania couldn't help but return the grin. Confidence surged through her body—for now, they weren't an estranged father and daughter whose relationship was on the rocks. For just a little while, their broken relationship was mended, and Titania was the little girl with stars in her eyes. All that mattered was to make her dad proud.

"Lairon, take down!"

"Dodge it!" Titania screamed, breathing a sigh of relief as Eevee narrowly avoided being tackled into the wall. "Sorry! Are you all right, Eevee?"

"Chivee!" The fox Pokémon growled, its previously cute demeanor replaced with a scowl. "Chi . . . chiee!"

"Glad to hear that," she chuckled, turning to Steven with a smirk. "Nice try, Stone."

"You were the one dozing off, Maple. You've already wasted thirty seconds!"

"I know, I know. My bad. Well, it's my turn now. Eevee, use quick attack into dig—just like we practiced!"

"Che!" Eevee charged at Lairon with lightning speed. Lairon didn't even flinch as the fox Pokémon hid it head-on before burrowing into the dirt. Seconds later, it reappeared, hitting Lairon in another part of its body before retreating to the ground. Lairon winced and Steven frowned.

"Tch, a ground-type move. How perplexing," Steven muttered. "Lairon, use iron defense!"

"Grooa!" The overgrown lizard glowed a bright blue, and Eevee's attacks did even less damage than they had originally.

"Eevee's attack stat wasn't that great anyways," Titania mused, sighing. "Eevee! Use double-team and dig again!" It quickly obeyed, splitting into multiple copies before diving into the holes. The multiple Eevees began popping in and out of the ground at an incredible speed, hitting Lairon just as it did before.

"You do realize that's not working, right?" A smug smile graced Steven's face. "Is this all you got, Maple?" Titania said nothing, trying to ignore the taunt. This only made the smirk on Steven's face wider.

"I guess not, huh? Well, let's finish this, Lairon! Search out the real Eevee the crush it with metal claw!" Lairon closed, sensing for Eevee's presence beneath the ground. The dirt under its left claw slightly shifted and, with unexpected speed, Lairon clawed Eevee out of the ground and flung it across the field, right in front of Titania.

"Rooa!" Lairon roared victoriously.

"I'm impressed," Titania acknowledged. "Not only is your pokemon well-kept, it's strong and an excellent battler. You are more than qualified to challenge my father."

She gazed down at her Pokémon, who leapt to its feet.

"Chi! Vee ee chevee!"

Crouching down, Titania lovingly pet her pokemon. "You're right. It's time to stop playing around. Have you gauged out its weak point?"

"Ee!"

"Good." She stood and, with an pointing to Steven, yelled out, "Playtime's over, Stone! Prepare to lose!"

Steven blinked, caught off-guard by the girl's sudden vow to defeat him. Just moments before, he'd assessed her as a careless gym trainer—half-baked battling, weak, undertrained Pokémon, a lack of basic knowledge like type effectiveness and Pokémon stats. (Pairing Lairon's high defenses with Eevee's poor attack stat? Not a smart move.) But as he observed her once again, it seemed as though an entirely different trainer. Reflected in her steely gray eyes was the same calculating, passionate looks he saw in gym leaders and veteran trainers. Half-baked battling? Hardly—he realized only now that it was a strategy to not only weaken his Pokémon, but to also determine its weak points.

He had underestimated her—and her Pokémon, too. If her Eevee was as weak as he thought, why did it get up as if it hadn't just been slammed into the ground? Her Pokémon, weak? No. She'd complimented his Pokémon, but he was more impressed with her tiny fox.

The tingling feeling of anticipation he began to feel in his fingers acted like a "reset" button, renewing his vigor. This battle was just getting started.

"Bring it on!" He countered.

"Well, someone's excited." Titania was nothing short of amused. "Eevee, charge up a shadow ball. Then use the quick attack and dig combo again." Eevee complied, waiting until the shadow ball was bigger than its body. The pulsing mass of purple and black knocked Lairon on its hind legs. Steven panicked—if Lairon landed on its back, the battle would be over.

"Lairon, use iron head to tip forward! Then soften your landing by using metal sound!" Steven cried. The steel plate on Lairon's head glowed a bright white, jerking the Pokémon forward. As it fell forward, Lairon vigorously rubbed its head plate and mouth plate together, creating a loud, screeching vibration that slowed its fall.

"Good! Now use protect!"

"Laroon!" Lairon's eyes glowed green, a green circular barrier surrounding the giant lizard, protecting it from outside attacks.

Steven glanced at the clock—one minute left. His smirk once again found its way to his face. "What do you think of that, Maple? You can't hit Lairon with any attacks—and trust me, my Pokémon can keep this going for longer than the minute we have left."

"You're right, I can't hit Lairon with any attacks…outside attacks, that is."

Confused, Steven murmured to himself, "Outside attacks?" He looked at his pokemon and, too late, saw the mass of brown fur nestled under the belly of his pokemon.

"Eevee, hidden power!"

"Lairon!"

The explosion was momentarily contained within the confines of the barrier, which quickly gave way. The entire battlefield was covered in pitch black smoke. Steven frowned, hoping that there was a possibility that his Pokémon survived the attack.

Titania was also beginning to worry. She knew that it was probably a bad idea to use hidden power within such a small, confined space, especially since Eevee's hidden power was of the fighting type. There was a chance that falling debris, a stray orb of hidden power reflected by the barrier, or even Lairon itself could have caused Eevee major damage. She just had to wait until the smoke cleared.

* * *

Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Hello, again! This was a quick update, wasn't it? Well, enjoy!

Oh, the story was changed to the Adventure/ Romance category because, well, it's about an adventure! Ehehe.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Pokemon.

* * *

"Norman, honey, admit it. You're scared."

Norman Maple was _never_ scared. Battling tough trainers? Like stealing candy from a baby. Proposing to his wife? No sweat. Helping aforementioned wife give birth to children? No problem. Taking the Hoenn Gym Leader test? Piece of cake.

Dealing with his volatile, angry teenage daughter? He'd like to pass, thank you very much.

"Caroline, I am _not_ scared. I'm simply, uh, giving her space and time. To cool down, you know? I read somewhere that teenagers hate it when their parents are always breathing down their neck."

"Right. That's the reason you won't go talk to her. To 'give her space.'"

"Exactly."

"Whatever you say, honey."

A silence fell upon the room as Caroline turned back to her cooking and Norman stared intensely at the wooden surface of the dinner table, reflecting on his earlier actions.

He knew that as her father, it was his duty to keep his daughter safe—especially with the looming threat of Team Magma and Team Aqua. With them around, traveling by herself would be far too dangerous. All he wanted was for Titania to be _safe._

_She'd be safe with her Pokémon, though. Besides, she knows how to defend herself. She trained under Chuck, Cianwood's gym leader, for half a year, remember? She dislocated your shoulder trying to show you what Chuck taught her._

_But then again, she would be safest at the gym._

_But is it okay to keep her from going on a journey?_

_Her safety is the number one priority._

_But is her potential being capped and her growth being stunted by staying here?_

The nagging thoughts waged war in his head, and the more he thought about it the more he realized that Titania was more than capable of taking care of herself—in fact, he was more worried about the people who would dare to make her cross.

"Caroline."

"Yes, honey?"

"I think it's time that we let Titania go on a journey." He turned to his wife, who was looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "What? She's more than capable, especially with her Pokémon, and I—"

"I'm not opposed to the idea, honey," Caroline interjected. "I'm just a tad bit surprised you would even _suggest_ it; I mean, you've been all Spartan about not letting her leave the confines of the gym."

"I have, haven't I?" Norman chuckled. "I wonder how she'll respond."

"She'll be bouncing off the walls," Caroline giggled.

"Mama, Titania's not opening her door!" The duo turned to the interrupting voice—their three-year-old daughter, May, stood at the doorway to the kitchen, sniffling.

"Oh, May, sweetie, come here," Caroling cooed, reaching out. May ran into the woman's arms, crying sadly. "Don't be sad, sweetie. Titania's really upset right now, and she doesn't want to see anyone at the moment."

"But Titania always invites me into her room, even when she's sad!" May whimpered.

Norman frowned. What May said was true—no matter the situation, Titania always welcomed her with open arms—for her to block out even May meant that she was _really_ distraught.

"I'll go check on her," he volunteered, getting up from his seat. Caroline nodded at him, carrying May over to the living room.

"Come on, May, let's play with Max."

* * *

It took five minutes for Norman to work up the courage to speak to his daughter. A voice in the back of his head reiterated how scared he was, but he ignored it.

Norman Maple was never scared.

"Titania." Her name came out as a hoarse whisper, and he cleared his throat before beginning again. "Titania, open up."

Silence.

"Titania, I know you're upset with me for not letting you go on a journey. I . . . I just did it with your safety in mind. You understand that, right? I want you to be safe, because you're my daughter." He waited for a response, but got none.

"Titania? Honey? Listen: I've realized I've been too strict on you, and that you are more than capable to take care of yourself. You can go on your journey."

Absolutely nothing. Norman frowned, worried about the uncharacteristic silence. He turned the doorknob—it was unlocked. "Titania?" He pushed the door open and walked into the room. It was empty—all her pokeballs, as well as her medicine bag, was gone.

"Huh, she must be training. I'll just wait for her here."

It was a small, cozy room, painted red with white accents. The only furniture in the room was a twin-sized cot, which he plopped down on, and a writing desk. Across from where he sat was an open window facing Petalburg Bay, where the sun was just starting to set in a blanket of gold, red, and orange.

"Why is it open? It's freezing in here," Norman muttered, hurrying over to close it. It was only then that he realized the manila envelope on the table with "Dad" scrawled on it.

"What's this?" He opened it, his face blanching as he inspected its contents.

"C-Caroline!"

"What is it, honey?" Caroline walked in, May in tow. "Where's Titania?" Her husband gazed at her with forlorn eyes as he shoved the paper into her hands. Confused as to why her husband looked as though he was going to cry, she took a look at the letter in her hand.

"_Dear Dad,_

_By the time you're reading this, I will be gone. Now, now—I didn't commit suicide. That's not what I mean by 'gone.' I am running away._

_Everyone assumes that I'm going to inherit the gym when you retire, and for a while I thought that was what I wanted, too. But recently, I've realized that I don't know what I want. I don't know what I really want to do with my life. Somewhere, between all these gym battles and being stuck at home, I lost myself._

_I was chatting with one of your first challengers when we moved here, a guy named Lionel. He was so passionate about becoming a Pokémon doctor, and I asked him how he knew that was what he really wanted. He told me that it was during his journey that he finally realized that he was meant to be a Pokémon doctor. I chatted with your other challengers, and the majority said the same thing—it was during their Pokémon journey that they finally understood what they wanted to do with their life._

_I guess you understood why I was so adamant about going on a journey now, huh? I didn't want to tell you this in person because I knew that it would hurt your feelings to know that I didn't want to follow in your footsteps. I knew what you expected of me, and I was afraid that by telling you my true feelings you would be disappointed with me. And that's the last thing I wanted. Because when it comes down to it, I'm a bit of a daddy's girl._

_I lied when I said I didn't want to take over the gym—I was angry, and I didn't really mean it. Perhaps in the future, when I'm a little more mature, I may want to. If not, you'll always have little Maxie to take over. _

_Don't tell May I told you this, but I think she'd be better as a coordinator than a Gym Leader. I mean, have you seen how she tried making Slaking's focus punch rainbow-colored and sparkly? Definitely a coordinator._

_Max, on the other hand: for a sixteen-month old, he sure knows a lot about Pokémon. I swear, he's not only a genius, but he's an exact replica of you, but tiny. He already knows what Pokémon he wants to start with (Treeko), and he told me once, "Titan-ya, if you don't take over the gym, I will!"_

_Whoops,. I got a little side-tracked. _

_I guess Steven Stone was the straw that broke the Camerupt's back. After narrowly beating him with Eevee, I was exhausted, but satisfied. No offense, but I think you're going to lose to him. I still love you, daddy! Anyways, I happened to look over in your direction. You looked so proud of me—and I knew that I was happy for making you happy. But I also realized that, as your little girl, I'd do anything to keep you happy—even foregoing a Pokémon journey, should you let me. So I decided to leave._

_I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye—to you, to mom, to May, or to Max. But I knew that if I did, I would stayed here—against my will or not. I think both you and I know that I don't belong here, not right now. Not until I find out what my calling is. _

_I'm going to go around Hoenn, having experiences that will strengthen the bonds between me and my Pokémon, as well as mature me into a respectable young adult. As Tolkien said, 'Not all those who wander are lost.' Actually, I don't know how that fits in, but I'm putting it in anyways. It just sounds cool._

_So until I find myself. . . please don't go looking for me. I promise: I will make you proud. _

_I love you all so much. _

_Titania_

_P.S. Be prepared when I come to challenge the gym. I won't be the same trainer you knew._

_P.P.S. I'm sorry I took all the Carbos, Calcium, Protein, Iron, HP Up, and Zinc. The new shipment comes in tomorrow, and I figured you wouldn't miss these. I'm still sorry, though."_

Caroline looked at her husband, tears welling up in her eyes. "I didn't know she felt this way."

"Neither did I," Norman replied, his voice cracking. "I feel like a terrible father. I need to make it up to her somehow, Caroline. I can't standwaiting until she comes back to challenge me. I need to make things right with her _now_."

"Mama, what's going on? Why's daddy crying?" May questioned.

Norman crouched down so he was eye-to-eye with her. "You see, sweetie," Norman said, stroking his daughter's hair, "Titania went off on a journey and won't be back for a long time. That makes mommy and daddy sad."

May's lower lip began to tremble. "Titania's…gone?" She looked around the room feverishly, as if her parents were lying and her older sister was instead playing hide-and-seek.

"T-Titania's _gone_!" she wailed, sobbing into her father's shirt. Norman sighed, rubbing his daughter's back sympathetically.

"I know sweetie, it hurts daddy too. Hey, I have an idea." May looked up at him, her eyes bloodshot.

"What, daddy?"

"Do you want to go wish your sister a good journey?" May nodded, wiping at her eyes.

"Well, start packing. We're going to Rustboro tomorrow."

* * *

Once again, thank you for reading! Don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3

Hello again, everyone! I meant to update this on Sunday, but I scrapped the chapter I had because inspiration struck and this one was tons better than the previous one. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Pokemon.

* * *

She shouldn't have run after the thief. The sensible thing to do was to call the police. But there was an innate part of her that wanted to play the part of the hero—a part that craved the adrenaline that came along with taking life-endangering risks like chasing after dangerous criminals. It was unsafe for anyone, much less a teenage girl like herself, but she continued on anways.

She remembered the man. She'd seen him earlier that day, searching for Shroomish in the Petalburg Woods, not a care in the world. Fast-forward to that afternoon and it looked like the weight of the world was on his shoulders, tears welling up in his eyes, begging on his knees for someone, _anyone_ to help him retrieve the stolen goods.

"Please, help me!" he cried. "I don't have a Pokémon to send after him! All my other coworkers and the police are tied up with the rest of Team Aqua, and we need the Devon Goods back! They're extremely important goods that can cause serious damage if in the wrong hands! Please, someone, _help!_" His plea fell on deaf ears, as passerby would turn their faces away from the man despite his groveling and incessant pleading.

How could Titania _not_ go after him, especially since no one else would?

_My gym battle could wait until later, _she decided. She sprinted into the grasses of Route 116 that led to Rusturf Tunnel, knowing that would be a good place for a criminal to hide. She skidded to a halt in front of the tunnel, cursing as she did so—there was no doubt in her mind that the Aqua grunt had gone inside and escaped. He was probably exiting into Verdanturf as she stood there!

"Peeko… he took my darling Peeko…" a voice moaned from inside the cave. Titania stiffened—was that the thief playing the victim? She squinted into the darkness only to find an old man struggling to pick himself off the cave floor. She couldn't believe the gall of that Aqua scum—to even pick on a helpless, old man was low, even for scum like himself.

"Sir," she cried, helping him to his feet, "my name is Titania. What happened?"

"P-Peeko!" he cried. Titania could feel her heart break as the man sobbed into her shoulder. "My darlin' Peeko's all I had left! And then that man… he took my Peeko away from me!" He looked up, his eyes watery with fat tears. "Please, lassie, save my Peeko! The crook couldn't have gone far—the tunnel isn't completed yet!"

Titania nodded. "I promise you, sir. I will get your Peeko back." She summoned Growlithe, quickly commanding, "Protect this man at all costs!" before dashing off into the caves.

"Arceus, it's dark in here," she muttered as she ventured deeper into the caves. "The damn thief could be anywhere." She suddenly stopped, remembering something that Chuck had taught her from her time at the Cianwood gym.

_Stop, take in a deep breath,_ _and listen._ She closed her eyes and opened her ears to the sounds of the tunnel. The cries of Whismur reverberated against the stony walls, and Titania had to strain her ears to pick up anything else, but after a while, she finally heard it—the sounds of feet against the gravely floor.

_From the right? The left? _Titania cursed under her breath; it was almost as if the footsteps were coming from every direction! She concentrated harder and her efforts were rewarded: she heard hot, heavy breaths… tickling the back of her neck.

"Didn't your parents ever teach you not to follow a man into dark places?"

* * *

Steven Stone felt the tension in the air and didn't know what to do. He didn't know if it was because he had pressured the Maple family into accepting a ride to Rustboro with him (he was heading there, anyways, it wasn't like it would be much of a problem), or if it had something to do with the M.I.A. daughter, Titania.

_Of course it's about her, you incompetent fool, why would it be about you?_ _It's none of your business either, so pretend this tension doesn't exist and carry on._ He surveyed the family—Norman, though lively during their battle was now a corpse, staring blankly out the window, lost in thought. Caroline twiddled with her skirt, occasionally wiping a tear from her eyes. Little May sniffled in the corner, her eyes bloodshot. Even the baby was in a bad mood.

His heart went out to the family, knowing that this all had to do with the argument he walked in on just yesterday. Even though he had no direct correlation with the event, he felt like he needed to help them.

_Stop playing the hero!_ He couldn't help it, there was some part of him that gleaned satisfaction from being a little heroic. _Curiosity killed the Delcatty, you fool!_ He kept quiet as long as he could, but his curiosity eventually got the better of him.

"Uh, Norman, sir." Steven coughed, getting the older man's attention. "I know this isn't any of my business, but I know you and your family aren't too…ah, what I mean is… is there any way I can help?"

Norman gave the boy a rueful smile, causing Steven to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Don't look so unsettled, Steven. Anyone would be curious, especially since you witnessed Titania blowing up on me." He looked to his wife, who gave him a knowing nod. "I guess we can tell you."

From there on, he recounted the tale—how Titania's desire to travel grew, how his desire to keep her safe exploded out of proportion, how she eventually lost it and blew up on him, her letter, and how she ran away.

"Thank you for sharing this with me, Norman," he replied after he digested the whole story. "I know it isn't easy to share this with someone, much less a stranger like myself. If there is any way I can do to ease your load, please let me know. I'd be more than happy to help you out."

"No, thank you for listening. I feel like this has been a load off my chest," Norman admitted. "I just hope that when I confront her that she doesn't hate me."

"Hate you? I don't believe she could ever hate you, sir." Steven smiled. "From what you've told me, and what I've witnessed, the exact opposite is true."

"How would you know?"

"Well, first off—"

"Young master Steven, we've reached headquarters." Steven nodded, thanking the driver before stepping out of the car.

"I'll tell you over a meal, sir. Please, step this—"

"Young master Steven! Young master Steven!" Steven sighed—he never really cared for being interrupted when he was talking, especially within the same minute. He turned to the intruding voice, recognizing the man as one of the higher-ups that served directly under his father.

"Yes, Mr. Adams?"

The man ran up to him, panting heavily. "We've got a code orange, sir!" Steven's eyes widened. A code orange meant that Team Magma or Team Aqua had infiltrated the building—that was _not_ good.

"Have you taken measures against the intruders?"

"Yes, sir, of course! Team Aqua raided the building half and hour before you arrived, searching for the Devon Goods." Mr. Adams adjusted his tie nervously, unable to look the heir to the Devon Corporation in the eye. "They… well, one grunt made off with the Goods."

"They _what_?"

"But not before I found a trainer to run after him!" Mr. Adams out his hands up in self-defense. Honestly, he found his boss' son a little more intimidating than the big boss himself. "I met her earlier this morning in Petalburg Woods, and I know she's more than capable of fending off the grunt."

Steven felt his stomach drop. With all the events that happened within the past couple of days, he had a bad feeling about who Mr. Adams had met in the Petalburg Woods this morning and sent on this dangerous task.

"Her name."

"Excuse me, sir?"

"Her name. What's her _name?_"

"T-Titania, sir." There was a gasp from Norman and Caroline. From the corner of his eye Steven saw that Norman's face was a mix between rage and worry—rage towards this imbecile who sent a teenager to apprehend a member of a crime organization and worry about the safety of his daughter.

Steven cursed under his breath. Every minute they spent here would be time that Titania was in grave danger. "Mr. Adams, which way did they go?"

"Rusturf Tunnel, sir."

"Skarmory!" The giant steel bird crowed, awaiting a command from Steven. "Come, sir," he commanded, turning to Norman. The man's face was as pale as a sheet, dotted with red blotches of anger and eyes glazed over with worry. "We're going to Rusturf Tunnel."

* * *

"You little bitch, you're going to pay for that." In the pitch black darkness, Titania had no way of telling where her assailant was. After catching her off-guard, the Aqua grunt had dragged her into the deepest part of the tunnel, a place. It was her lucky break when she tried a roundhouse kick and, through sheer luck, made contact with his face. The metallic stench of blood filled her nose—perfect. Now she could pinpoint his location without needing to look or listen closely.

"Give back the Devon Goods! Give back Peeko!" she demanded. "You filthy thief!"

"You mean this useless Wingull? Take it. It's worthless." Something landed at Titania's feet—a Pokeball. Peeko's, she assumed. "I'm not handing over the Devon Goods, though."

"Actually, you will." She released her Eevee. In the brief flash of light from the Pokeball, Titania saw her opponent's Pokémon—a black, wolflike beast with blood red eyes. "I'll make sure of that."

Her threat was met with raucous laughter. "Right," the Aqua grunt sneered. "You and your cutesy, weak Eevee can't do shit against my Mightyena. I'm taking you down, wench. Mightyena, toxic!"

"Dodge, Eevee!" She smiled as the fox Pokemon quickly evaded the attack. "Take that, Aqua scum!" Confident she would easily win the battle, she allowed an arrogant smirk to adorn her face. "Think you can win against me now?" Her taunt was met with another bout of laughter.

"Do you think that attack was meant for your Pokémon?" She was unsure of what he meant until she felt the sharp incisors sink into her arm. Letting out a bloodcurdling scream, she tried fighting off the Mightyena but was instead rewarded with the wolflike Pokémon's fangs sinking deeper into her bicep, releasing the toxic venom into her bloodstream. Finally, the Pokémon released her arm, retreating to his master.

"You asshole!" she screamed, clutching her arm. "Dirty, fucking asshole!" Her flagrant cursing seemed to help her deal with the pain easier.

"Hey, I'm a thief. I play dirty, you know?" He was smug, and she had no doubt that there was an egotistical smile plastered on his face. "Oh, you might not want to move around so much. The poison will spread faster, you know?"

She scowled. "Eevee, let's finish them with one blow. Hidden power."

"Like that's going to do shit. Mightyena, bi—ah!" The explosion, caused by the hidden power, rocked the tunnel and knocked out both the Mightyena and its trainer. In the few seconds where the light illuminated the Rusturf Tunnel, Titania noted the path to the exit (behind), where the Aqua grunt was (five paces directly in front of her), and the location of the Devon Goods (at the grunt's feet). As soon as the shaking stopped, she made a run for it, grabbing Peeko's Pokeball and the Devon Goods before making a mad dash to the exit.

The poison didn't take effect as immediately as she thought it would, but the moment it did it felt as though a Wailord was dropped on her. She could barely move her lead-heavy legs—or any other part of her body, for that matter. The otherwise cold tunnel was now a blazing sauna, and sweat pooled on Titania's brow before pouring down her face and into her eyes. Bile rose in her throat, and it took a great deal of effort to keep from throwing up. Her vision blurred. Darkness, a different one from that of the cave, began to swallow her up.

_I guess I'm done for._ She smiled ruefully, tears pooling in her eyes. _So early into my journey, too. I never even got to see dad, mom, May or Max. I didn't get to see Steven again…_ She laughed out loud. _Of all the times I could think of a random person, it would be Steven Stone, and just before I die, no less._

She stopped running. "Eevee, come here." As the fox Pokémon bounded up to her, Titania pulled out the Pokeball and the package she had been sent to retrieve. She also took off her necklace, a gold chain with a glistening Premier Ball attached. "Eevee, I want you to take these. Bring these to the old man outside the cave; he's with Growlithe. Give him the Pokeball, and then lead him to the Devon Corp. The people there will know what to do with the Devon Goods." Her voice was weak and raspy, and she had to stop talking for a while to cough. "Then find Steven Stone, if you can. He should be able to take good care of you. If not, go to Petalburg. Remember, I love you, Growlithe, and Dragonite. I love you all so much."

"Chivee?" Eevee whimpered, nudging Titania forward as if to motivate her to keep going.

"You have to leave me, Eevee. I don't think I'll make it." She stroked Eevee's fur before pushing it towards the exit. "Go."

Titania watched as her obedient Pokémon sped away. She clutched at her arm and fell to her knees. Slowly, but surely, she succumbed to the darkness, allowing it to overtake her and lull her into bittersweet sleep.

* * *

"Skarmory, here!" Steven jumped off the steel bird, landing on the grass with a "thump." Norman followed suit, furiously searching for his daughter, but was disappointed with the lack of her presence.

"Steven, she's not here!" Norman sounded desperate and terrified. "She could have gone anywhere—up those ridges, into one of those caves over there, or straight into the tunnel! Steven, we need to find her!"

"Are you lads looking for Titania?" a voice croaked. Steven whipped to the source of the voice, a hardy old man he recognized as Mr. Briney, world renowned sailor. Next to him was a Growlithe—Titania's, no doubt.

"Mr. Briney! I'm Steven, and this is Norman, gym leader of the Petalburg Gym. Titania's his daughter. Do you know which way she went?"

The old man nodded. "She went inside after that man. She promised to save my Peeko. Now that I've sobered up a little, I realized it was a mistake on my part to send her in alone. But judging by her Growlithe," Growlithe took this chance to bark, "she's a talented trainer. Ah look," He pointed to the entrance of the cave. "Someone's coming out now. It must be her. See, there's nothing to worry about."

It wasn't her—it was just Eevee, carrying a small load of items.

"Chi!" It threw one of the objects, a Pokeball, to the old man before running up to Steven and dropping the rest of its load.

"The Devon Goods," Steven breathed. "And… a necklace with a Pokeball on it?"

"It's Titania's. It holds her strongest Pokémon." Norman pocketed it. "Eevee, where's Titania?"

"Chi! Chivee ee!" It was at that point that Steven realized the Pokémon was scared. It kept running in circles, motioning towards the cave, barking frantically. Steven didn't understand Pokémon, but at that moment he knew exactly what Eevee meant: Titania was in _serious_ trouble.

"I'm going into the cave," Steven stated. Before anyone could stop him, he dashed into the cave. "Metagross, come on out!"

"Gross."

"Quick, use flash! We need to find her!" he demanded. The Iron Leg Pokémon glowed a bright light. Steven saw her immediately—a ghost of the girl he'd remembered.

Pale and ashen, blood was splattered about her body. Her raven ponytail fanned beneath her body, matted and clumped with dirt and more blood. Her chest heaved weakly with every shallow breath she struggled to take. One of her arms was a putrid greenish purple color, and with horror Steven realized she was badly poisioned.

"No…" he gasped. "No!" He ran over to the unconscious girl and scooped her up in his arms. "Titania, you can't die on me. Do you hear that? We're going to get you to a hospital, and you're going to be okay. You will not die on me!" He ran as quickly as he could back to the entrance, tears cascading down his cheeks as he did so.

"Arceus damn it, you can't die on me right now. You… you owe me a rematch for mercilessly beating me back in the Petalburg Gym—I need to win against you!"

He didn't understand why he was so attached to her. Feeling sad was inevitable, even if he barely knew her—death was never a happy occasion. But for his feelings to be so…_intense_ was unprecedented. It wasn't as if they were friends—they met just yesterday, and even then it wasn't because either of them wanted to become bosom buddies. He highly doubted that he was romantically attracted to her, though she was a beautiful young woman. He was just the kind of guy who wanted to know here before he, well, _knew_ her, in that intimate and sexual way. As a rival? Possibly; he hadn't enjoyed a battle in such a long while. He'd miss battling with her.

That must be it. She was his rival, and any trainer would mourn the loss of a rival.

"You're not dying. Not today. I'll make sure of that."

* * *

Thank you for reading! Here's a quick poll:

If Steven Stone were a Hoenn legendary, would he be: Kyogre, Groudon, or Rayquaza?

Don't forget to review! Until next time!


	4. Chapter 4

Hi again! Sorry for such a long break between chapters! I was so busy with school that I haven't had the time to work on this chapter for more than a few minutes at a time! But now that I'm on break, I think I'll be able to get up at least two more chapters. I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Khryseis does not own Pokemon. This would be canon otherwise.

* * *

"_You have to leave me, Eevee. I don't think I'll make it." Reaching forward, she grasped at the fox Pokemon's head, stroking its fur tenderly. She forced a smile to encourage her Pokemon even as her sight began to blur, a side effect of the poison—or was it tears? She couldn't tell the difference. Below, Eevee whimpered, vainly trying to encourage Titania to keep going._

_But Titania knew that it was already too late._

"_Go," she commanded hoarsely, pushing her away. _I don't want you to see your trainer die—no Pokemon should ever see that. _She stood until the trotting of little paws faded into silence, then with a heavy thud fell to her knees. Fat drops of sweat pooled on her brow and it became almost impossible to breathe. Like a blanket, darkness clouded her vision, demanding that she succumb to its eternal sleep._

_She had no other choice._

That's funny, _she mused in the moments before the darkness finally won._ I could have sworn I heard Steven's voice.

* * *

"And I swear, I hear it again."

Titania rubbed her forehead gingerly as she sat up in her bed. "I can't be alive," she muttered. "I'm sure that going untreated for poison leads to death—pretty sure. But I have a killer headache. I don't think you get headaches in heaven… if that's where I am." She inspected her left arm—a mass of gauze and tape enclosed the area from her shoulder to the crook of her elbow.

"I don't think they have bandages in heaven." A smile broke onto her face. "I'm… I'm alive," she breathed, incredulous. "_I'm alive!"_ She gave a yelp of utter joy, rolling out of bed and taking her first steps in—well, who knows how long?

In the midst of her celebration the door slammed open and Steven, panting heavily. "Nurse, what's wrong? I heard a yelp from this room and I—" he suddenly went silent as he made eye contact with Titania. She, in turn, paused her happy dance, staring at him wide-eyed. He slowly walked forward, reaching a hand out to touch her face. The gentle touch of his fingers as they caressed her cheek and the way his eyes widened when she flinched at their contact left Titania speechless. It was if he was afraid that she was an illusion and that she'd vanish if he blinked.

"Titania?" he breathed. "I'm not dreaming, am I? You're finally awake, right?"

She nodded, giving him a small smile.

"You're awake." Steven's face lit up, his grin reaching from ear to ear. "You're awake!" He suddenly embraced her, squeezing her in his tight grasp. " After a month, you're awake! Thank Arceus! I have to tell your parents! I'll be right back!" He sprinted out of the room, leaving before the girl could say anything.

"A… a month." Titania stared blankly at the wall. She thought of the time that passed between that incident. Almost a whole month without her Pokemon—her irreplaceable partners, her precious friends. She didn't regret her decision to help, but she wondered what her life would be like had she chosen to turn a blind eye to the Devon worker and the old man. Where would she be? Dewford, maybe Mauville? What Pokemon would she have caught, what kinds of people would she have encountered? Would she have met the dashing young Steven in a place other than this hospital?

What would her family be doing? Would they still be worried about her?

Would she and her dad still be on bad terms?

"Daddy…" She swiped at her eyes, rubbing away at the sudden appearance of tears. In an instant, she realized that no amount of wanderlust could—or should—break up a family. She was wrong to run away from home. Her father was right—she wasn't ready to take on a journey.

"Ti…Titania?" The girl snapped her head up. Four faces—four people—stood at the doorway.

Her family.

The shortest one, Max, toddled forward on shaky legs.

"Max… you can walk?" she gasped. "Since when?" she asked in a whisper, more to herself than to the little boy.

"A week ago, Titan-ya!" he said, beaming proudly. "I could walk before Ally and Bobby from the Sunshine class! Ms. Roxanne gave me a gold star!" He pointed to the sticker on his shirt, glowing with pride. But the smile on his face was overtaken by a frown, and his eyes glazed over with tears as he looked at his big sister's arm wrapped in layers of gauze.

"Why… diden you come home, Titan-ya?" he whispered, looking her directly in the eyes. " Why? I coulda protected ya! And then ya woulden have dat on your arm! I coulda protected ya! I coulda… I coulda! Promise! Remember? I promised you that when I became gym leader like daddy I'd protect you!" He began to bawl into his mother's skirt, and Titania's heart broke. Little Maxie _never_ cried. Not when he scraped his knee when he fell of the jungle gym, not when he had to get stitches because Vigoroth accidentally scratched him with his claws. _Never_.

"Titan-ya, why diden you come home?"

She couldn't bear to look at his sad little face anymore. She turned to May—but even May wouldn't even look at her. Her red eyes glared at the lamp, swollen from hours of what Titania knew was nonstop crying. Her eyebrows were deeply furrowed, lips pouted, fists clenched so tightly her whole body was shaking in anger. Every so often, she would blink to push oncoming tears back to where they wouldn't be seen.

"May…" The little girl flinched—she could hear the pain her big sister was feeling, and she wanted nothing more than to give her a big, tight hug. But she couldn't, not yet; she had to let her sister know _exactly_ how she felt first.

"I was mad at you," the little girl started. Titania blinked, surprised at how _old_ this three-year-old girl sounded. This wasn't the bubbly little girl she knew. "You left. And it hurt my feelings. So I was mad."

May struggled to get out her next sentence, gritting her teeth and blinking rapidly. "I… I said, 'I hope I never see Titania again! I don't care about her anymore' But I… I didn't… mean it." Waterfalls of tears began streaming down her cheeks. "I promise I didn't mean it! When I saw your arm all purple and bloody, and you were barely breathing, and I… I… this is my fault!"

"May. Look at me." The little girl sniffled as she meekly looked up. "Come here." She obeyed, sitting on the hospital cot next to her sister.

"May, listen: this isn't your fault. Not a single bit of it. Your sister just likes to put herself in dangerous situations. It's not your fault, okay? When you say that, it makes my arm hurt more."

May's eyes widened. "No!"

"Yes. So don't say that, okay?"

"O… okay."

Titania looked at her mom, who was hiding behind a handkerchief.

"Oh, honey, I'm just glad you're okay," Caroline managed to choke out. "The doctors said that you might never wake up, and we couldn't bear to be so far from you, and… oh honey." She began to sob into the handkerchief. Titania grimaced—it felt as though someone were stamping on the pieces of her already shattered heart.

She could barely bring herself to look at her father, who stood almost stoically at the door. His mouth was set it a rigid, straight line, not smiling. His eyes, the windows to his soul, were clouded over with tears, the only indication she had to his true emotions. He said absolutely nothing. He didn't need to; she knew that the pains he was suffering came from deep wounds.

Wounds she had inflicted.

Lately, she did nothing but hurt him, and its effects were starting to become blatant. There were bags under his eyes, and his cheeks were beginning to sink in. The effects of stress were blatant, and he was worse for wear, a ghost of the man that she knew.

And it was her fault.

"Dad… I… I'm _sorry." _ She buried her face in her hands and she bawled, feeling more emotional pain than she felt she could bear. She'd gladly take another dosage of Mightyena's toxic if it meant that she could take away the pain of her family. This was her fault. All her fault.

She wanted to travel—and look where it got her.

Look what it did.

Was her dream _really_ worth it if it meant her family was so openly dying?

_What had she done?_

"I'm sorry," she cried, repeating the phrase like a mantra. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

_I'm a terrible child. _

_A terrible person._

_I hurt my family._

_I _hurt _my family._

There was silence, and no one dared to move, each caught up in their own emotional grief. They all were afraid—afraid of how fragile they had become, of how someone might break with the single touch.

Then Norman, more a man of action than of words, came forward and wrapped his arms lovingly around his daughter. She buried her face into his shoulder and wept. In return, he rubbed her back and comforted her in the way only he could.

"Dad, I… I…"

"Shh," he whispered. "It's okay, Titania. I'm just glad you're alive. So glad… that I didn't lose my little girl. You're here, and that's all that matters. It's okay. It's okay."

* * *

"Miss Maple, are your things all packed?"

Titania looked up to see the nurse smiling down at her. "Yes. Thank you so much for taking care of me throughout this entire ordeal. I owe you a whole lot."

"Oh, it's no problem!" she replied. "I mean, you were one of my easier patients: never complaining about anything, never freaking out when we brought out the needles—I think I'm going to actually miss you!" she laughed. "Now, I'm to take you to the Devon Corp."

"What? Why?"

"The president wants to speak to you. So quickly, quickly! We musn't keep him waiting!"

"Well, you did, and I got impatient! So I came here instead!" The two females turned to the door, where the Devon Corp president stood, a broad grin on his face. "Titania, Titania, it's nice to finally meet you! My son's told me quite a bit about you—you're quite the trainer!"

He bounded over to her, this stout and jolly man. He, like Steven, had steely-blue hair, though his had hints of gray peeking out from his gelled-back hairdo. His green eyes, warm and inviting, added to a smile that was so contagious that Titania found herself returning it with similar gusto.

"Hello, Mr. Stone. It's nice to meet you too!"

"Ah yes, I want to thank you for retrieving the Devon Goods from the Aqua grunt. Without you, Team Aqua would have surely done some dastardly thing by now. Who knows, you just might have saved the world!"

"Oh, thank you, but it was all my Eevee's work."

"No need to be so modest, my dear! You are a hero! Here, take this PokeNav. It's yours as a token of my gratitude!" Mr. Stone laughed heartily. "Speaking of your Pokemon, I have three that have been anxious to see you!"

Titania gasped and began to run her mouth a mile a minute. "My Pokemon? My Pokemon! Oh, how are they? Wait, no. Where are they? Are they with you? Have they been eating? Did they get a chance to stretch their legs? Did they—"

"Ohohoho! As soon as we mentioned your Pokemon you livened up!" Mr. Stone chuckled, and Titania blushed. "Don't worry, Steven's been keeping them in tip top shape. They're in the training area behind the hospital." He smiled warmly as he noticed how fidgety the girl was getting. "Go on—they've waited long enough to see their trainer."

* * *

Empty. The training field was completely empty—vacant, lacking in life… desolate. Titania frowned.

"Am I at the right training area behind the hospital? Ugh, I was never good with directions. Maybe I should go ask the nurse inside, she would—"

"SURPRISE!"

"ARCEUS!" Six figures appeared from thin air, startling the girl. In her surprise, she stepped backwards, tripped on a rock, and fell flat on her butt.

"What was that for?" she groaned, grimacing as she rubbed her lower back. "I am in no condition for surprises!" She slowly picked herself off the ground, dusting the dirt on her clothes.

"Mom, dad, what's going on? May, Maxie, why do you have cake and balloons? Steven, what did my parents rope you into? And…Professor Birch? Aren't you supposed to be researching in Sinnoh? What are you doing here?"

The six looked at each other and, as if on a televised sitcom, laughed all at the same time.

"Norman, I can't believe she forgot!"

"Me, either, honey."

"Titan-ya, you should know what day it is!"

"Yeah, even _I_ know what day it is. And I came here of my own free will, Titania."

"Perhaps her coma also induced slight memory loss? That's very common among trauma patients like herself."

"No, Professor Birch! My big sister should know that it's her birthday today!"

"What?" Titania blinked. "Oh wait. Today's the sixth of January?" Her question was confirmed with a nod. "Okay, cool. My real question is: who (or what) teleported you here?"

Steven smiled. "That's easy, Titania: your Pokemon." Titania was momentarily confused—she didn't have a psychic Pokemon in her arsenal.

Steven then stepped aside to reveal a slender, cat-like Pokemon poised with the grace of a statue. Its glossy magenta fur shone in the spotlight, reflecting the rays with fragments of sleek fur—it was obvious that this Pokemon was well taken care of. Its forked tail swished back and forth as it limbered over to Titania, nuzzling against her hand when it reached her.

Titania gasped. "Ee…eevee?" She bent down, stroking its head gently. The Pokemon mewled happily in response. Titania gave a small smile. "No, that's wrong. Now, you're Espeon." She smiled softly, wiping a tear from her eye. "Congratulations! I'm so proud of you!"

_I'm just sad that I missed it._

"Peo!" Espeon nuzzled against Titania's hand once more before teleporting away, shortly returning with another Pokemon and a gold chain with a Pokeball attached to it.

Growlithe, unlike its counterpart, had no restraint when it came to seeing its owner again. In the blink of an eye Titania landed on her butt again, a blob of orange and yellow fur giving her sloppy kisses, whimpering and nuzzling her face, demanding to be petted.

"Growlithe! Ah, hey buddy! I missed you so much!" She gave a bear hug to the puppy, who continued to nestle himself into her body. "I see Steven's been training you a lot, huh?"

"Groro!"

"You're quite the Pokemon trainer," a voice interrupted. Looking up, Titania noticed how Professor Birch was beaming at her.

"Thanks, Professor."

"Actually, that's partially why I'm here." He pulled a Pokeball from his lab coat pocket and handed it to Titania. "I think that you'll do an excellent job of raising this Pokemon—I think it suits your fiery personality!"

Titania couldn't wait to see what was inside. "Go, Pokeball!"

"Tor! Torchic chi!" The fire bird came out, chirping as it hopped around the training field. It stopped when it noticed Titania, then hopped onto her lap.

"Tor!"

"It's so cute!" Titania gushed. "Thank you, Professor!"

"My pleasure. Happy birthday, Titania!"

Steven took this chance to step forward. "My turn, then. Happy birthday, Titania." He held out a silver gift box. Standing, placing Torchic at her feet, she opened the box. Inside, an elliptic stone, a turquoise stone almost the same color as Steven's eyes, fastened to a silver chain, lay nestled in velvet.

"Wow," Titania breathed. She held the stone to the sunlight—when she did, it seemed to almost glow in a rainbow of teals and blue greens. "This is… beautiful. Thank you, Steven!"

"It's a Dawn Stone," he added, taking the chain from her. "An evolutionary stone for certain Pokemon, like male Kirlia and female Snorunt. Here, let me put it on for you." He continued to speak as he clasped the necklace around her neck. "I got this to symbolize that dawn of a new beginning for you—a new chapter in your life: not only in age, but also in your Pokemon journey. You will have many new experiences that will shape and mold you. May you grow to be a fantastic trainer and a wonderful young woman."

"I… thank you, Steven." There was nothing more she could say—or she could find to say, really.

"Our turn, our turn!" May piped up. "Max, you take the egg! I'll take the card!" The little girl skipped up to Titania and handed her a card.

"Read it later, when you're alone, okay?" she whispered, grabbing her sister's hands. Titania laughed.

"All right, May. Max," she turned to the little boy, who was struggling to pick up a container, "do you need help?"

"No."

"Really?"

"…No."

Titania giggled and walked over to the little boy. "How about I sit here with you? Is that okay?" Max nodded, and the two of them sat together. Torchic, Growlithe, and Espeon followed suit, surrounding the pair in a small semicircle.

"Titan-ya, this egg is from gramma and grampa. They said it's gon' be—" he put his hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I forgot I can't say nothin."

"Hmm…" Titania put a finger to her chin and pretended to think. "The egg is creamy white, with blue and red triangles. Is it… a Togepi egg?"

He gasped. "How did you know, Titan-ya? Are you psychic?"

Titania giggled. "Yep! I am!"

"Hon, don't forget us!" Titania turned to her parents.

"Well," Caroline began, "we don't have much of a material gift. But we know how you love to travel."

"And," Norman butted in, "I know we haven't let you go anywhere."

"Your father's fault."

"Yes."

"We also know that after the incident you didn't want to travel anymore for our sakes." A sad smile alighted on Caroline's face. "Honey, we saw it in your face. We aren't your parents for nothing, you know. But we didn't mean for you to feel that way. We _want_ you to travel. We want you to have a great experience."

"To see the world and become stronger," Norman interjected.

"But I—" Titania began.

"No!" Caroline exclaimed. "Let us finish!" Titania nodded and obediently shut her mouth.

"Honey, we don't want to cap your growth—you've got so much potential that shouldn't go to waste!"

"We want you to travel. But it's dangerous, and for our sakes, we don't want you traveling alone," Norman continued. "So…"

"So we got you a traveling buddy!"

Titania nodded. "I understand. But who?"

The two looked at each other, each giving the other a small smile.

"Well," Norman answered, "Why don't you ask Steven?"

Titania turned to the young man, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Correct me if I'm wrong, Steven, but am I traveling with you?"

"Bingo."

"Oh." Titania turned back to her parents. "I mean, I don't mind, but doesn't he need to complete his gym challenge before he travels around with a rookie to help her out?"

"Actually, I have all my badges." Steven flashed his badge case and, lo and behold, eight shiny gym badges.

"What?" Titania blinked, slightly stupefied. "But don't trainers usually come to my dad's gym around their fourth/ fifth badge?"

"Well, I couldn't exactly challenge your gym when you first moved to Hoenn, now could I?"

"You have a point." She turned to her parents. "Are… are you sure you want me to travel?"

"We'll miss you," her dad smiled, embracing her. "And when you come back to challenge me, I can't wait to see how far you've come."

"Trust me, dad," she replied. "You won't be disappointed."

* * *

Thank you so much for reading! Don't forget to review!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello again! :) I got another chapter up before the year was out...probably because I'm sick, hahaha.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer: Khryseis owns none of this except for her OC.**

* * *

"Mr. Stone will see you now."

Titania gave a nod as she stepped into the elevator, accompanied by one of the Stones' personal butlers. The ride up was silent-the butler was taught not to speak unless spoken to-and so Titania focused her mind on her upcoming gym battle.

She knew Roxanne to be a smart battler considering the fact that she was gym leader at the tender age of sixteen-an achievement very few could boast. Plus, her choice in the rock-type left Titania in what seemed to be a tight situation: as two of her three battleable Pokemon were fire-types, she was in a bit of a disadvantage.

However, Titania knew that Roxanne's personality could play an important part in her battling skills.

"Especially because she's best friends wtih Clair," Titania muttered.

"What was that, Miss Maple?" the butler inquired.

"Nothing, thank you for asking, sir."

"You're welcome. We have arrived on the young master's floor; he's in the first room on the right."

"Thank you!" She made her way down the hallway, stopping at the first room just as the butler told her. From even a foot outside the door, she could hear two voices conversing-the higher, more feminine tone more animatedly than its masculine counterpart. Titania debated on whether or not she should intrude; after all, this could be a private conversation between Steven Stone and an important person.

_To enter, or not to enter. That is the question._

_Or perhaps a girlfriend_, her conscience taunted. Titania swiped the thought away, ignoring the jealous pang that attacked her heart. She stood outside the door, patiently waiting for their conversation to dissipate. The thought quickly returned, to her dismay, accompanied by mental pictures-the steel trainer holding hands and embracing a nameless, faceless girl, the two having dinner, the two cuddling by candlelight, escalating dramatically to a scene where the mystery girl and Steven Stone were being wed in holy matrimony, a depressed Titania sobbing in the back pew of the church.

"It's just cause he's attractive," she muttered to herself. "Too attractive." She stepped up to the door, rapping her knuckles on it twice, announcing, "Excuse me, I'm coming in!" before opening it and stepping inside the room.

The first thing Titania noted was that the room was cold-frosty even. She pinpointed the sudden drop in temperature to be accounted to the icy glare she was recieving from the girl at Steven's side. Titania recognized her almost immediately-ruby red eyes, and pulled back chestnut hair, accompanied by the unique uniform of the Trainer's School across the street.

Speak of the devil.

"Steven." Roxanne spoke calmly, though the irritation in her eyes was evident, if only to Titania. "Who is she?"

"The name's Titania." She figured that she'd introduce herself. "I'm your two o'clock tomorrow."

"Was I talking to you?"

Ah, there it was. The snooty, arrogant, I'm-better-than-you attitude common among Clair and her clique.

"No, but I thought I'd save him the trouble of opening his mouth."

Roxanne glared and turned away in response, ending the short conversation between them. "Steven, I don't think it's right that your personal maid interrupt in our reunion."

_Personal maid? _Titania raised her eyebows. _What, is that the best thing she could think up?_

"Actually, Roxanne," Steven responded, "we're traveling partners."

Titania felt the temperature drop lower to subzero temperatures. "Should have been an ice gym," she muttered. "Fits her perfectly."

"Since when did you travel with someone?" Roxanne shrieked. "I thought you've traveled by yourself since you moved to Mossdeep and Wallace became gym leader!" Titania held back her laughter-the girl looked absolutely mortified that the object of her affections would even _think_ to travel with another woman.

"Recently, actually." Titania cut in again. "Sorry, Roxie. I know you don't like hearing my voice, but I can explain this a little better than he can." She smirked. "Steven and I are going to head out to Dewford right after I beat you tomorrow."

"Beat me?" Roxanne trembled in anger. "You think you can _beat_ me?" She marched up to Titania and poked her in the chest. "I'll have you know-I am the top of the top at the Trainer's school! And it's because I'm at the top that I am the gym leader of this city! Do you think you can beat me, rookie? I don't think so!"

"I'm pretty confident that my Pokemon and I can win." Titania removed the finger from her chest with a single swipe of the hand. "You really shouldn't underestimate me."

Steven, though a bit oblivious to the situation, understood that whatever was happening wasn't good.

"Ladies," he interjected, inserting himself between the two trainers, "the only way we can determine the victor of a battle is to actually have the battle itself. Titania," he looked pointedly at the girl, who responded with a wary look of her own, "and Roxanne, since the two of you are so eager to prove yourself, why don't we make tomorrow's battle interesting?"

"How so, mineral boy?" Steven glared at Titania, who stuck out her tongue at him.

"Battle restrictions." The two girls looked at him, then at each other, before nodding in agreement. "Good. We'll get one from each of you. Titania, you first."

Titania responded almost immediately. "One-on-one."

"Okay, one Pokemon each. Roxanne?"

Unlike Titania, the gym leader deliberated her decision. Her mind was formulating a scheme designed with her victory in mind. She would not let the rookie trainer's Pokemon even touch the floor. Not only was her pride at stake, but also her standing in Steven's eyes.

"Well," She finally spoke after a brief silence. "Experience is key to winning battles. She will use her newest obtained Pokemon while I will use my strongest, most experienced Pokemon."

"Very well." With a gentle hand he guided Roxanne to the door. "I'm afraid you've got to attend that Gym Leader web conference. It was nice having a chat with you."

"Same here!" The gym leader gave a sweet smile, transforming from evil witch to delicate flower almost instantly. "Maybe next time you and I-"

Steven shut the door in her face. He swiveled around, glaring at the remaining trainer.

"That was rude," Titania snorted. "You didn't even let her finish her sentence."

"Are you an idiot?" The girl blinked, caught off guard at how angry he sounded. "I didn't realize that you were intending to _lose_! Your new Torchic won't stand a chance against her Graveler!" He paced back and forth, fuming. "I'm starting to think that you provoked her-"

"On purpose?" Titania finished for him. "Of course I did. It was all part of my strategy." Steven stopped and stared at the girl incredulously.

"And I suppose that you wanted the single battle?"

"I did, as a matter of fact." Titania sat herself in a chair and pulled out Torchic's Pokeball. "I was just about to offer the one-on-one myself. And, knowing her personality type, she would have sent out her strongest Pokemon in an effort to intimidate me." She released the Torchic, who hopped onto her lap with a chirp.

"I would have used Torchic anyways," she continued, stroking her Pokemon on its crown. "She needs battle experience. The fact that I used my newest Pokemon that had the least experience would have sent her over the edge, and she'd want to finish with a single attack."

The smirk on Titania's face grew until it seemed as though it stretched from ear to ear. Steven watched the girl, a strange mix of fear and admiration stirring in his soul. This outcome was _exactly _what she wanted-nothing more, nothing less. She'd calculated every single movement, every single word that had flown from her mouth and from Roxanne's. He thought she was good, but this proved that she was _formidable_.

It wouldn't be long before they would be full-fledged rivals. He couldn't help but feel excited-almost ecstatic-at the thought. "I can't wait for your battle tomorrow. It's bound to be a good one."

"Knowing her, it will be over in less than five minutes." Titania sighed. "Though the earful I'm going to get afterwards will last an hour or so."

"How are you so sure you'll win?"

"I trust my Pokemon. Besides, we need to get this journey on the road! I want to see Dewford-I heard that Granite Cave has a lot of fossils." She smiled, and Steven felt his heart skip a beat.

_She's so cute. Wait, what am I thinking? Stones, stones, think about stones. _

"Yeah, I heard that too! I'm primarily a steel type trainer but I really want a solid rock type-and with Devon Corp's technology we could easily revive that fossil!" He chirped, attempting to divert his thoughts away from his companion. "Not only that, Granite cave is known for its rich mineral sources-and who knows, we might find some evolutionary stones! Did you know that water stones are-"

He suddenly stopped as he realized that Titania was giggling at him.

"What? What's so funny?"

"No, no, it's not that it's funny," Titania assured him. "It's just that you look like a child on Christmas morning, with your eyes all lit up and whatnot. I'm used to seeing you rather composed."

"I like rocks," he stated with a frown. "Is that a problem for you, Miss Maple?"

"Not at all, Mister Stone." Titania stuck her tongue out. "In fact, it's kind of endearing. I've seen a side of _the_ Steven Stone that not many get to see. I feel special." A mischievous grin alighted her face. "This journey's going to be fun, _mineral boy_."

"Don't call me that!"

* * *

"The battle between Gym Leader Roxanne and Challenger Titania is about to commence!"

Titania could almost _see_ the confidence exuding from the gym leader, her smug smile visible from a mile away. Rolling her eyes, she plucked Torchic's Pokeball from her belt.

"Here are the battle restrictions!" th referree continued. "Each side will use only one Pokemon, with Gym Leader Roxanne using her most experienced Pokemon and the challenger using her least experienced Pokemon! There is no time limit, healing items are prohibited! Trainers, are you ready?"

"I have one more condition!" Roxanne announced, triggering a sigh from her opponent. "If I win, you," she flung her arm out, pointing at Titania, "cannot travel with Steven!"

"And if I win?"

"I'll let you decide that when victory is in your hands!"

Another sigh. "Fine." Titania turned to the referee. "Ref, all clear on this side."

"I'm ready as well!"

The referee nodded. "Trainers, you may begin!"

"Let's show them how hard we've studied, Graveler!" The rock Pokemon shook the earth as it landed with a heavy thud. Its eyes were alert, and it gave a loud battle cry before assuming a stance.

"I'm impressed," Titania called out. "You've got a great Pokemon!" She threw up her own Pokeball, summoning Torchic in a bright flash. "It's showtime, Torchic!"

Graveler towered over the tiny bird, easily three or four times its height-and easily thirty times its weight. In an attempt to intimidate its opponent, the giant rock glared, uttering a gutteral growl.

"Lerrr."

Torchic, however, seemed unfazed. It chirped and began hopping in a circle, the red and yellow bow around its neck bobbing with the Pokemon's movements.

"_That's_ your Pokemon?" Roxanne yelled, howling with laughter. "Victory is already mine-you don't stand a chance, especially with such an inexperienced, weak Pokemon! It even has a bow! Go participate in a contest!"

"Don't underestimate me." It was said calmly, but there was a fire burning within Titania; _no one_ insulted her Pokemon. "And I'll have you know, Contests are much harder than they look. Torchic, battle stance!"

The baby chick snapped to attention, lowering its head and glaring at the rock Pokemon. "Tor, tor!"

"Let's end this with a single hit, Graveler-no need to waste your time! Bulldoze!"

"Double team, then ember!" Torchic avoided the rampaging rock with ease, multiplying itself before spewing out hot embers.

Graveler, as if unharmed by the attack, swat them away with ease.

"You call that an attack?" Roxanne screeched. "That was weak-you barely made a dent on my Pokemon. Let me show you a true attack!" She turned to her Pokemon, who waited patiently for its trainer's command. "Rock tomb!"

"Dodge, then ember again!"

Rocks fell from the sky and one by one Torchic's copies disappeared, squashed under the boulders. The remaining Torchic spit out fire once again-and again, Graveler swat them away.

"Stop dodging!" Roxanne demanded. "Fight like a real Pokemon trainer and take my Pokemon's attacks! Rock tomb again!"

"Your wish is my command," Titania responded sarcastically. "Torchic, take the hit, but don't get crushed or trapped by the boulders!"

The fire bird stood rigid as Graveler's boulders came hurdling towards it. It braced itself as it was pummeled by the rocks. The dirt from the battlefield rose up like a cloud, shrouding the line of sight-and luckily for Titania, blocking Roxanne from her vision.

"Hahahahaha!" came the obnoxious laughter. "You really are a bad trainer, letting your Pokemon take that hit! You're going to be spending a long time in the Pokecenter after this battle!"

The dust cleared, and Roxanne expected her opponent to be frantic, distressed with the realization that she would lose against the gym leader. But Roxanne was stunned to see that Titania was neither frantic nor worried-in fact, she looked bored.

"Why aren't you worried?" She demanded. "Your Pokemon is trapped under a pile of rocks, knocked out and in serious injury after my Pokemon's strong attack! You should be afraid! You should be running into the field, searching for your Pokemon!_ You should be admitting defeat to me!_" She was panting by the end of her tirade, but her nemesis didn't do so much as bat an eyelash.

"I'll repeat myself again: don't underestimate me. Torchic, stand up."

Roxanne watched-in horror, she realized-as the small chick Pokemon rose, not yet defeated. Though it shook on the verge of exhaustion, straining to remain conscious, it glowed bright with determination and fighting spirit.

"How-how?!" she screamed. "The difference in level, in strength, in ability! Your Pokemon should be completely knocked out!"

"Yes, it should," Titania responded. "But you're the honor student, remember? You should be able to figure out the answer to your own question."

It was at that moment that Roxanne took another look at the ribbon around the Torchic's neck, its red bow frayed from the battle. She gasped in recognition.

"That...that's a focus sash!"

"Correct! Good for you, honor student." Titania smirked victoriously as her opponent trembled in anger. "It's not illegal, if that's what you're going to say. The only illegal items are healing items."

"Shut up! You're still going to lose!" Roxanne screamed. "Rock tomb, Graveler! Rock tomb until that Torchic is buried under a mountain of rocks!"

"Nuh uh, I'm not going to let you get away with that," Titania singsonged, taunting the gym leader. "Torchic, use double team and agility to dodge!"

A torrent of boulders rained from the sky, and if it hadn't been for the protective shield around the fighting arena the spectators would have also been exposed to flying rock and sharp projectiles. However, even in its weakened state Torchic dodged with ease on account to its small size and its speed. Graveler, like its trainer, was getting frustrated, and as a result began chucking large boulders with less precision and accuracy.

_Perfect_. "Torchic, get in close!"

"Crush her Pokemon!" Roxanne cried. "Bulldo-"

"Reversal!"

With a blinding flash of light and an immense power, Torchic slammed into Graveler, sending it flying to the opposite end of the arena. The boulder Pokemon landed face-up in the crater it created as it fell, eyes swirling before it closed its eyes and passed out.

"Ha...hahaha." Out of a mix of shock, anger, and not knowing how to respond to the sudden events, Roxanne began to laugh. "You're kidding. This must be a joke. There is no way... no way..."

Torchic hopped back to Titania, who cradled the Pokemon in her arms. "Thanks, Torchic. You did awesome out there."

"Tor!" It responded with a chirp.

"Graveler is unable to battle! The winner is the challenger, Titania Maple!"

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Thanks for reading!


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